The field of the invention is queue clips and control gates of the type used to guide lines of people e.g., at parades and amusement parks.
Control gates are commonly used, for example, at a parade, for separating the spectators from the participants, or at amusement parks, to help to guide people waiting in line.
In use, these gates may be connected together. However, they are more typically spaced apart from one another, to allow for an emergency situation where a person might need to move rapidly outwardly or away from the direction of the queue. To discourage a person from freely passing between spaced-apart gates, a chain or the like is typically used to link one end of a gate to another. For example, a yellow, lightweight plastic chain is often used at amusement parks.
Local ordinances may require the chain and queue clip for linking one control gate to another to be a xe2x80x9cbreak-awayxe2x80x9d for emergencies. To comply with such a local ordinance, the chain may be modified by partially sawing through one of the links of a chain, such as the light-weight plastic chain typically employed by amusement parks, to weaken the chain enough so that it can easily break-away. Alternatively, a chain with a low breaking strength may be used. However, persons waiting in line may occasionally sit on the chain, inadvertently breaking the chain.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved queue clip, or latch and chain device particularly adapted for use with control gates, that can hold the weight of persons sitting on the chain, and yet be versatile enough to break-away or release in an emergency. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.
To these ends, in a first aspect of the invention, the device includes a holder having a rod angled to the holder. Although the device may be used as a latch or the like for numerous different types of gates, the device is particularly adapted for use with control gates. Accordingly, the holder of the device is preferably mounted to a control gate that is linked to another control gate via a chain. A tongue or rod of the device supports one end of the chain, which may be a hardened steel chain or the like. The rod is preferably angled to the holder for supporting downward chain forces. Hence, the latch and chain will not release if a person sits on the chain.
The rod is also angled to the holder for slidably releasing the chain in one direction or to one side of the holder, once sufficient force is applied against the chain to make it travel up and over the tip of the rod. Accordingly, the device allows a member standing in line to briskly walk or run against one side of the chain, forcing the chain to slide off of the tongue, such that the person can freely pass between the previously linked control gates.
In a second aspect of the invention, the holder may include a pair of bores for respectively receiving the tongue or rod of the queue clip. The bores are preferably threaded. One bore is configured to open toward the front wall of the holder, whereas the second bore is configured to open toward the rear wall of the holder. Advantageously, this second preferred embodiment allows the tongue to be retained in either bore. In this manner, the user can set the queue clip and gates at pre-designated locations regardless of whether the side of the crowd control gate having the queue clip mounted thereto is facing inward to where the queue will be or outward to where the queue will be. Accordingly, queue clip need not be remounted if the direction of release of the chain is not as desired, rather, the user need only screw the tongue into the other bore.
In a third aspect of the invention, the holder may include a channel adapted to receive the tongue such that the tongue is translatable within the channel. Advantageously, this embodiment allows quick release of the chain from the tongue support without concern as to which direction a person in line may have to move in to get by the gates.